2009 World Outgames – Day 1
It’s interesting to read some of the other blog posts about the World Outgames . The American point of view is full of comparisons. Certain ‘sports’ sites offer a very slanted outlook, with the bloggers focuses on ‘surprising to find’ this or that. Rowers simply embrace.
On Day One, that meant training at Lake Bagsvaerd , outside of the City Centre. Crews took out the assorted boat styles and learned the course. The lake is the site for the national Danish team training centre and also the venue for World Championships. The equipment for hand held starts, buoyed lanes, and a finish tower is all in place. Bleachers at the finish are grass-lined steps cut into the hillside. The Danish weather showed its true colors, brilliant sunshine, windy, blustery, and some rain. The boats are super high quality.
Following an exhausting all day training, rowers returned to the city for the start of the opening ceremonies. The parade of nations , 98 in all, showed the scope of the participation, with long pauses as the UK and Germany walked the catwalk, and loud cheers as the three or four participants from Nigeria proudly waived. The speeches were short and the entertainment was breathtaking as dancing couples, same and opposite sex, and aerial artists took to the stage. The outdoor event held in the main City Square reflected the Danish culture of access to all. Thousands of Danes watched the Jumbotron as well as watched remotely as electronic displays in other parts of the city showed the event.
The first races start at 13:00h Sunday, 27 Jul with preliminaries and a few direct to finals. The masters events will offer delayed starts to encourage course competition. Weather forecast seems to change hourly but the consensus is for afternoon sunshine.
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